Dancing Through Life: "Dancing for Degas" by Kathryn Wagner

Today's book, "Dancing for Degas" by Kathryn Wagner was a very recent thrifting find at my local thrift store in Miles City, MT.  The synopsis on the back of the book intrigued me because of my love for art and ballet.  It was a good book, but I wasn't in awe at the end.  However, I feel like it's only fair to my readers that I share my opinion, even when it's lukewarm, and let you decide. So, here we go. Let's just talk about it and you decide if this book will go on your reading wish list.

The backdrop for this book is the countryside of France as well as the romantic city of Paris.  For anyone who has researched Paris in the late 19th and early 20th century, we know they didn't get famous for handing out free kittens at the Moulin Rouge.  I knew that Paris had a reputation for promiscuity and I felt like I was bracing myself for it the entire time.  How this aspect of Paris' history was portrayed was kind of odd to me, but I will talk about that here in a minute.

The main character named Alexandrie is an aspiring dancer, partly due to the fact that her family is very poor and they need to have more income to support their household.  Alexandrie has an opportunity to take free ballet lessons from a local school and she soon learns that the ultimate goal for any ballerina with talent is to be invited to audition for the Paris Opera Ballet Company.  She works very hard to become the best in spite of a discouraging Mother.  Very early on the reader senses Alexandrie's passion for doing the right thing.  She is honest and has so much integrity.  She knows that if she can be a successful ballerina in Paris, she will be able to provide desperately-needed monetary support for her family at home.  She is warned by a few locals that the Paris Opera Ballet Company is more than meets the eye....in a negative way.  She is convinced that being the best at ballet will overrule the negative, auditions and makes it! Her dream has come true....sort of....

After reading the book I found out that this was the author's debut novel which brought more clarity to some of the imperfections I found.  The author provides a detailed list of sources so I know she did her homework, but I got lost in some of it.  When Alexandrie arrives at the ballet, it's obvious that the caste system is alive and well among the ballerinas.  The older, more experienced ballerinas are jealous of the new, younger ballerinas because the better they become the more obsolete the older dancers become.  The other side of the ballet is the requirement to provide the "after-party" to the patrons of the opera.

So, here's the thing.  I'm not stupid.  I've done my homework and I know that prostitution was a means to provide for lots and lots of women during this era.....lots of eras...who are we kidding?  What I really struggled with was the part that I should have been shouting up and down for joy about. Alexandrie is determined that she will protect her virtue no matter what.  Gaaaa! Call in the elders because Raylynn might be walking herself in to an anti-virtue discussion!  Nope, I'm not.  What I struggled with was the way the author portrayed her standing up for her virtue. It just didn't seem real or logical. I felt like there was agenda in order to provide contrast. For some of you this may be getting a teeny bit technical (remember I grew up in a family of writing nerds), but I honestly didn't believe that she could really do it because of the historical facts of survival for women of her social status in Paris during the 19th century.  It was a constant awkward fight of Alexandrie being shocked that they were expected to "entertain" the patrons after their nightly shows. After a few chapters I thought, "if this was real, I don't think she could last this long and stay employed." I think the author was trying to portray a character who, instead of handing out her virtue to please the opera patrons, became the ballerina model for the famous artist Edgar Degas and then it was OK. 

The chapters when Alexandrie is interacting with Edgar Degas were really sweet.  She becomes his exclusive model and there is definitely a romantic interest (the "we should get married" kind, not "after-party" kind) on her part. She tells him this and he, in no uncertain terms, informs her that he doesn't have time for marriage.  However, there is a mutual respect between the two characters and he doesn't take advantage of her. I definitely appreciated that because I do, in fact, value a man who respects a woman's virtue. A LOT. 

For me, Edgar Degas, was a great character portrayal because he was the introvert recluse who was overflowing with passion and talent. I like those kinds of men in my own life. The quiet geniuses. I saw myself reacting as Alexandrie did when they met together for her modelling sessions.  Who can resist a man with a bit of mystery, right? Fitzwilliam Darcy with a dash of Mr. Rochester, please? I digress.....but seriously....you know what I'm talking about. Edgar Degas was that man and he was a great character.

Throughout the story, Alexandrie wrestled with the pressure to protect her virtue or finally cave.  It almost had a bit of Grease-final-scene-of-the-movie moment and I thought, if she gives it up after allllllllllll these chapters, I'm going to stop reading the book.  She didn't, but it definitely was on the table, because her mother is sending letters with increasing pressure for more monetary support.  The reader knows that through it all Alexandrie is dancing for a better life, not to please everyone else or keep the patrons' donations up.  The struggle is real and she truly does try.  The only thing I will say about the ending is this: it was a surprise.

My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above.  It's a PG-13 read with relationship elements, including prostitution and emotional abuse in the home and workplace. The prostitution is alluded to in daily discussions between characters, but there aren't graphically described sex scenes.

The moral of the story: Sometimes the dance of life turns out to be really complicated and weird. But, it also has its sweet moments as well.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R



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That's Just Peachy: "The Peach Keeper" by Sarah Addison Allen

Last week I shared my musings and love for the South and it's sassy culture.  As I was thinking about which books I would review during January, I wanted to share a wide variety of genres and author styles.  Today's review is shifting gears into a realm of magic and mystery.  Today we travel into the world(s) created by Sarah Addison Allen.  Specifically, I will be sharing my musings about "The Peach Keeper" which I found in a lucky thrifting adventure in Rexburg, Idaho last year.

Sarah Addison Allen's writing style is so interesting to me.  She writes stories that nearly jump off the page because she has a gift of writing with such imagery.  The other interesting element of her books is the reader doesn't know they are entering a magical world right away.  She develops the main characters and then slips in the magic.  Lastly, she presents characters with a LOT of depth.  I've read three of her books and each one I was emotionally attached from start to finish.  She has a way of bringing these people to life in such a way that I was almost positive that magic could be real because of how she wrote about it.

The reason I mentioned last week's post about the South is because this book takes place in North Carolina. As is par for the course in books set in the South, there's usually a socialite, debutante character and a commoner, perhaps quirky character because that's just how they do things.  In this book, the socialite is named Paxton and the quirky commoner is Willa.  They are polar opposites in their pedigree and life paths.  Paxton has taken on the hefty task of restoring a local, historical inn that has a long line of history and scandal attached to it. Willa's family built the inn that Paxton purchased and the circumstances of the property leaving the family were full of scandal and betrayal.

Another interesting element of this book is how we watch the characters learn to interact with each other in spite of their polar life paths up to this point.  The author has created a wonderful side-by-side, of sorts, to show how Paxton's life with all its glamour, high society and expected perfection isn't worth more than Willa's life with its simplicity and authenticity.  Willa's family has been attached to stories of scandal and betrayal that have caused people to think less of her family for hundreds of years. It's not until Paxton discovers a buried skeleton under the lone peach tree on the property that she decides to bring Willa in to her circle to answer some questions or at least find some clues.  And this is where the magic and mystery really unfolds.

A number of themes are presented in this book that I loved.  First, is that of reinvention.  Who are we really? Are we someone who is created by our status or social class inherited at birth or do we make our own world? It's all peachy to live in the bubble of wealth and glamour to the outside world, but is it that great on the inside? Throughout the book, a number of characters are faced with this challenge to overcome.  It would be easy for everyone to point fingers and blame the scandal and betrayal on the lack of status, but that's not really the case. Status doesn't equal perfection, but lack of status doesn't necessarily mean imperfection either.

The second is the ability to leave things in the past.  So, Willa's family was scandalous, what of it? She wasn't there, she didn't have a say in how her family members behaved and yet somehow it's still her problem.  To a point, I think we live out the consequences of family members gone by, but it doesn't have to be that way.  In the end, the choices that we can control are only our own.  Period. It's refreshing to me that I don't have to live with this kind of pressure over my head.  I would also submit that this is something that comes with fame and fortune more so than living a quiet, humble life.  The reader also learns about Willa's past and how her choices as a teen weren't exactly the best, not because of her family history, but because she chose them.  Ultimately, the division is resolved and Willa and Paxton come together to solve the mystery they are presented because it will benefit the community as a whole and their families as well.

I couldn't put this book down and loved the element of magic along with the mystery. There is also some sweet lovey plot line that happens and it's cute.  Like I said before, I knew I was reading a fantasy of sorts, but I had to convince myself that magic wasn't real because the author wove it in to the plot with such ease and made it come to life.

My recommended reading group would be age 13 and above.  It's a PG read with relationship elements, mystery and magic.

The moral of the story: Status doesn't equal perfection, but lack of status doesn't necessarily mean imperfection. The choice is ours as to which matters most.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R



More Books by Sarah Addison Allen

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The Courage to Continue: "The Mapmaker's Children" by Sarah McCoy

The Civil War of the United States is a subject that, to this day, is very polarized.  As a teenager growing up in eastern Montana, I had a fairly unbiased curriculum of the Civil War at school. The North won, the South lost, Lincoln was shot, slavery ended, here's the final exam and have a nice day. It wasn't until I started college in southern Virginia that I realized just how polar the win or loss debate was for people.  When I arrived in 2001 I was quickly shown that I had been taught the most bland version of how the Civil War transpired. You mean "Gone With The Wind" wasn't an accurate portrayal?? If you wanted to know how people felt about it in southern Virginia you could go to the local coffee shop, the post office or Walmart and they'd be fixin' to tell you their version of the story and then some. Everybody had their opinion on the war.  It was a cultural experience like no other.

Because of this unique cultural experience I decided to take an elective course on the Civil War that drastically changed my perspective. I was fascinated by the political philosophies of both sides of the war and I have to admit I understood why the South seceded.  That's not saying that I condoned it, but I could see their point. One of the most incredible aspects of the Civil War were the efforts of female spies (for both sides) as well as those involved with the Underground Railroad. And this, my reading friends, is where we land with "The Mapmaker's Children" by Sarah McCoy.    

This book was thrifted a couple years ago and has been sitting in the cozy book nook gathering dust ever since. I couldn't remember why I had purchased it in the first place.  Never a good sign. However, there was one aspect of the book that made me hold on to it.  The magical writing style of parallel worlds.  It is my FAVORITE. Like favoritest of favorites.  What exactly does that mean for the common person who doesn't understand my crazy Ray speak? It means two completely different plot lines that are presented in alternating chapters and everything is tied up tight and connected at the end.  If it's done well by an author it can cause fireworks in my brain.  This book was just such a book. It tugged at my heartstrings for a number of really personal reasons and reminded me why I dearly loved living in the South in the heart of Civil War country.

In this book we have two main characters: a Civil War woman living in New Charlestown, WV named Sarah Brown and a modern day woman named Eden Anderson also living New Charlestown, WV.  Their link? A house.  That sounds pretty simple right? It is, but all the stuff in the middle, the "between the lines" over the span of 200 years is quite complicated.

The book opens with Sarah Brown being told that she will never be able to have children. There's the bomb dropped real quick. In the first 10 pages of the book I felt a sense of empathy and compassion for this woman.  I can't even imagine the pain and heartache that came with finding out that a woman was infertile in the 19th century.  Having children was an absolute no-go at that point for Sarah.  They didn't have other options for her to consider or explore.  Because of this news Sarah seeks out methods to channel her pain and sorrow while having an impact on humanity in more non-traditional ways.

Eden's story opens up with her fair share of distress.  Her marriage is rocky, she's a city girl in a small town world and she has recently had her second pregnancy miscarriage and told it's unlikely she'll be able to carry a child full-term.  She is a mess and so lost emotionally. In an effort to calm down after all the trauma, she and her husband purchase a historical home in a quaint West Virginia town.  She's not convinced that this is going to help her calm down and maybe miraculously get and stay pregnant so she is constantly wrestling with the idea of giving up on the house and her marriage and running back to the city. 

As the reader is introduced to both of these women, it is evident they share something really important, but we don't know what for a few chapters.  Obviously their life struggles are similar with infertility, lost relationships and death but they are from two different eras.  So, what's the connection?

Before I get much further, I should point out that Sarah Brown was an actual person.  She lived a fascinating life and was instrumental in the freedom of hundreds of slaves. Her father was one of the pioneering individuals of the Underground Railroad long before the war started.  As a result he was executed for treason and his family continued the Underground Railroad efforts in his absence.  Sarah had an amazing talent of making beautiful maps that had symbols to represent key points for slaves on the run.

In the book she discovers that her maps can be drawn on almost any surface and subsequently gets very creative in how these maps are delivered to slaves.  There is a lot of emotion in the pages of this book and you can feel the nerves of the danger that accompanied the mission of the Underground Railroad.  Sarah had the courage to continue and she did whatever it took to carry on her father's mission after his untimely death.

Eden befriends a sweet neighbor girl named Cleo and they start to spend a lot of time together building a new business.  Throughout these conversations between a precocious young girl and a sad, lonely woman, we start to learn about the details of Eden's life and why it is so hard for her to deal with infertility.  In an unexpected way, Cleo and Eden, start to heal together and it gives Eden more courage to continue in learning about the historical home she lives in and the special town where it is located.  The house is most certainly the connecting force to Eden and Sarah, but I'm not going to give away any of those details because they are WAY fun to read.

This book had me wanting more, but I was also so happy and satisfied with the ending for both characters.  It's such a sweet ending and I felt like the author gave all the characters an appropriate amount of page time to tie up their conflicts.  It bugs the hell out of me when authors take too much time writing all the fluff and then tie it up in a single "a year later" chapter. That's how writers keep the publisher happy by staying within their page number limit, but don't have to re-write the whole book.  A good author will be able to do it throughout the book and leave the reader satisfied with the final sentence.

My recommended reading group would be age 13 and above.  The subject matter is clean and inspirational, but still addresses some tough realities that surround infertility, death and working through challenges in marriage and relationships.

The Moral of the Story: Many times the most unexpected way of channeling our sorrows leads to the most beneficial and wonderful blessings that we never knew we needed until we had them.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R



Other Books by Sarah McCoy

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The Light of Friendship: "Light a Penny Candle" by Maeve Binchy

It's rare that I make a trip to the thrift store on a mission for books and come away with nothing.  I've been pleasantly surprised with my local thrift store's selection of books.  They are very organized and accessible in an area where I can camp and read the backs of books for a long time.  I'll admit that I'm not one to retain author names and hone in on finding their books as I thrift.  I usually save my favorites on my Amazon Wish List and then reference it as I'm searching....maybe.....if I remember and have good cell service.  That doesn't always mean that I leave with the books that are on my list.  However, it gives me an idea of the genre that I know works well for me and then I can look for similar books.  It also really helps to have bookworm friends whose opinion I value, especially when it comes to book recommendations. This is the method of the madness for the thrifting ginger.

When I came home from thrifting with "Light a Penny Candle" by Maeve Binchy I had my usual bit of excitement and intrigue. The synopsis spoke of two girls who become fast friends during World War II when they were forced to live together in an Irish country village because children were being sent away from London. There was also mention of a bit of education in Catholicism and that made me chuckle because I'm kind of that girl....you know...the Mormon who knows a lot more about Advent and Lent than meets the eye.  Thank you, childhood in Miles City, MT.  What sealed the deal on my level of excitement was when I posted this book as my next read on social media and two of my friends went cray-cray. Apparently this author has been around a long time and they had both read ALL her books.  Ha! Happy accident ... again, but these two lovely friends are experts on good books so hello, winning Raylynn.  It's so great having friends who have good taste and I knew I was in for a treat.

The main characters of the book are named Elizabeth and Aisling.  Elizabeth comes from a very proper, stale, loveless home in London. Her parents tolerate each other to save appearances, but that's about it.  Aisling, on the other hand, is a spirited Irish redhead who comes from a large, head-strong, hard-working, loving family.  Aisling lives on the edge, but she also has her own sets of fears about the future.  We are very quickly transported in to the world of two girls who have no idea how great their life is because they are too busy making memories, yet they are brought back to reality and live through the sadness of war casualties, love lost, infidelity, abuse, abortion and changing family dynamics.

Because the book spans multiple decades, the reader will soon pick up on the common theme of the light of friendship.  These two girls were brought together in the most unexpected way, but they were connected forever and literally stuck with each other until the last sentence of the book.  It's incredible, actually.  There were times during the book that I thought they would part ways or lose contact, but they didn't.  I truly felt like I was in a movie for most of this book.  At about the halfway mark, I sent a text to my friend (one of the ladies who went cray-cray over the author) and told her I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the end.  There were some heavy themes presented and I almost threw in the towel.  But, I stuck it out and I'm so glad that I did.  When I finally read the last chapter, I couldn't even believe it.  I had to sit and read about 50 pages in one sitting because it was just so delicious.

Another element of this book that I really appreciated was the dedication these two girls had to each other in their moments of major imperfection.  Elizabeth is faced with the choice of abortion or completing an unwanted pregnancy and ultimately the decision she makes is one that she knows is best.  Aisling is the only person she tells and she comes to visit her to help with the recovery after the abortion.  Not a word of judgment is given by Aisling, the devout Catholic, just the support of a true friend.  Aisling makes a hasty decision in who she will marry and although the odds are not in her favor, Elizabeth makes time to join in the wedding festivities and travel to Ireland to be with the family.  When Aisling and Elizabeth are unable to be together they write the most beautiful letters to each other.  Much of their fears and worries are shared in these letters because they know that if they share them with their families it will only cause problems.

As I read this book, I was reminded of the many amazing friends I have in my own life.  The light of friendship is something that has kept me afloat on some really choppy waters and I related to these characters on so many levels.  I've been the person who needed people to just not judge and only love because I was having a terribly imperfect moment.....or moments.  There is so much value in having those kinds of people in your life.  I also know that it is a two-way street and in order to retain friends like this, the lights of our world when it seems so very dark, we need to BE that friend.  Stop with the judging and go with the loving.  That's what makes friendship so sweet! We get to pick our friends so pick the best in the bunch!

My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above.  It's a PG-13 read with relationship elements, including pre-marital sex, alcohol abuse by a spouse, abortion and overall cultural difficulties that come from growing up as a woman in the 1940s through 1960s.

The moral of the story: Life can be really, really hard at times, but it can also be glorious.  Nothing makes it better and more bearable than the light of a dear friend.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R


Other Books by Maeve Binchy

Missed Last Week's Review? Click here to read it!

The Consequence of Luck: "The Dressmaker" by Kate Alcott

It's a new year and a new blogging adventure for this crazy, thrifting ginger! I'm very excited to share with you my musings and overall review of books that I've found while thrifting. I hope you will enjoy the random as much as I enjoy writing it.  The first book that I'm sharing with you not only brings up the topic of the consequence of luck, but the book itself was a consequence of luck for me.

Last month my friend recommended "The Dressmaker" by Rosalie Ham for my never-ending reading wish list.  I looked it up online and happily placed it in my Amazon Wish List a.k.a online memory bank for the next time I was at the thrift store.  Before I knew it I had found it at a Goodwill in another city.  I was SO stoked and could hardly wait to finish my current book. I felt like it was a total victory because I'd only known about it for a couple of weeks.  What luck! And then the realization came......nope, I had actually purchased the other "The Dressmaker" by Kate Alcott. For a split second I was disappointed, but then I looked at the dreamy cover and thought, it can't be that bad with a cover image like that. And so began my journey to discover the consequence.....more like consequences of luck.

Even before I started reading this book, I knew I was going to read about characters who were presented with some hard luck. For you see, this book is based around characters who sailed on the Titanic. Cue the scary, we're-about-to-die music. After doing some research I also learned that the main characters of the book, Lucille and Cosmo Duff Gordon, were real people, and they had a secretary who caught her lucky break and joined them on the voyage at the very last minute.  There are other details from the story that are true such as the number of people who made it in to life boats vs. those who didn't as well as the outcome of numerous trial hearings against the ship company. It was fascinating and sad to read the historical details about this bleak day in history. So many people lost their lives and much of it was due to the lack of nautical knowledge for a ship that size and certain life-saving protocols not put in place prior to sailing. 

This book brought up a lot of topics that I enjoy thinking about.  There was a definite vibe of social class and how it brings luck or loss.  However, we see throughout the book that the consequence of luck isn't all it's cracked up to be.  In the beginning when Lucille & Cosmo are scrambling to save their own lives after the ship has started to sink, they make decisions that they think are acceptable because they have money and status.  Parallel to their choices, we read about Tess, the lucky low-class, aspiring dressmaker, who managed to survive and gain a ticket to America to start a new life.  Yet, as she was starting this new, seemingly sparkly life in America, she found herself wrestling with her own values of integrity.  Even though she was the luckiest lady in her family to be working for the top fashion designer in New York, she also had to make decisions that cost her relationships with her family as well as a couple of prospective suitors.

In addition to Tess, we meet a newspaper reporter named Pinky who has spent her life braving a male-dominated industry to share her experiences on daring journalism missions.  She carries an air of confidence and independence, but really she's an insecure daughter of a man who was once the most successful journalist in New York. Pinky's father is very ill and un-filtered and he attempts to encourage, but it often comes across as hurtful, and upsets Pinky deeply.

Another topic that is brought up is the question of whether or not to do something because it's simpler and/or provides more security vs. ultra risky, but the route with the greatest possible outcome.  How often are we faced with this in our own lives? Taking risks is scary because it's full of the unknown. In contrast, taking the route that provides safety and security may limit us because it is secure.  Tess is put in some really vulnerable situations in which she has to decide who she values the most and what she's willing to sacrifice for them.  This is especially prevalent in her personal relationships with two male characters.  I, myself, would have chosen the "safe character" in this particular story, but that is totally because I love a dashing older male character. I was swoony over that man. Lots of swoony.  I won't give anything else away, especially who she chose because it's deliciously woven in the plot.

The last topic that I really enjoyed thinking about was the ability to chart a new course.  That may sound like a bad pun, but it's not.  This book really showcased the literal and figurative adventure that comes with charting a new course in life.  I feel a sense of kinship to that idea and really liked the way that this wrapped up the conflicts and choices that had to be made by each of the main characters.  Some of them chose the easy route, some of them did not.  But, overall, I think they each learned a lot about themselves and the true impact their choices have on others.

The ideal audience for this book would be age 12 and above.  It's a clean, historically-accurate read, but given the historical event it's based around, there are some aspects of the tragedy that may be worrisome and a bit heavy for a younger reader.

The Moral of the Story: Luck isn't always as lucky as it may seem.  Hold your head high and do what's right, in spite of your social status.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R



Other Books by Kate Alcott